Five years ago, Southfield native Joann Bally met her finace Ryan Chase at a New Year's Eve party in Troy. Now, the couple is heading off to Hawaii for a dream wedding on the most romantic day of the year -- Valentine's Day.

Both Bally and Chase were at a party taking place at Baliey's Pub & Grille in Troy. Chase, 36, originally from Sterling Heights and Bally, 35, then began dating.

Chase, who works as a multimedia web designer at Macomb Community College, proposed to Bally, a mortgage processor, on Sweetest Day 2011.

Bally said the day wasn't picked intentionally. Chase proposed to her right before a University of Michigan and Michigan State University football game.

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"He's a graduate of Michigan State, so that was awesome (getting engaged at a game)," Bally said.

Following the game, which MSU won, the couple immediately began planning their wedding.

"It was a lot of work and we always knew we wanted to have a wedding somewhere else," Bally said.

"We went back and forth with the location and decided on Hawaii."

The couple found the perfect spot, a private, secluded waterfall called Wailele O Kalihiwai. Next, the duo needed to pick a date.

"If we're going to Hawaii, we wanted to go when it was cold here," Bally said.

Another important factor was whale season.

"We decided why not get married on Valentine's Day? It's known around the world for love," Bally said.

"I figured it's a popular day for weddings, even being a bridesmaid (at many weddings) ... I had personally never heard of anyone who got married on Valentine's Day."

The wedding has been booked for a year now, and the couple will stay in Hawaii for two weeks for their honeymoon.

Bally said they chose the private waterfall for the wedding because of how secluded it was, and Bally knew she didn't want to get married on the beach.

"It's silly, but one of the reasons I didn't want to get married on the beach is because I'm short (and wanted to wear high-heeled shoes)."

The waterfall, and surrounding areas will allow for the bride to wear her high-heeled shoes, plus more.

"It's a private location, so we're renting it," Bally said. "We don't have to worry about random people being in the background of our pictures."

During the ceremony, guitarist Panco Graham will be playing music. Graham was featured in the film "The Descendants" with George Clooney.

There will only be eight family members at the Hawaii ceremony, but Bally has always dreamed of having a small wedding. When they return home, they will have a large reception with 150 guests.

"My fiance has been married before and I have not, when we first planned, we didn't want to do the reception and I added it ... it's something I've never experienced," Bally said.

The planning surrounding the wedding was an overall good experience for Bally and her groom. Bally attended several brides-to-be shows, which helped her find several of her vendors.

They found out about their reception venue, MacRay Habor in Harrison Township, which has views of the water.

The couple took a hands-on approach, trying to save money where they could. Chase designed the wedding invitations, and just had them printed by a locally-based printer.

Bally said getting her dress was one of the only things that has gone wrong during the entire process because she felt rushed into picking one.

Many bridal salons have been known to pressure brides by using scare tactics by saying if they do not order immediately, their dress might not be ready in time.

Ultimately, Bally stuck to something simple and portable for the sake of the plane ride. All of the alterations have been made, and is ready to be worn.

For Bally, her dream wedding cannot come fast enough. The couple leaves today, and could not be more excited for their trip.